# US 2019/0378375 A1 · Skill-based wagering machine providing a predetermined return-to-player > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0378375 A1 - Document ID: US20190378375A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/019,975 - Filed: 2018-06-27 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-12 - Assignees: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited - Applicants: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited - Inventors: T. Grant Bolling, JR. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378375A1 ## CPC - G07F 17/3251: {involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens} - G07F 17/3258: {Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots} - G07F 17/326: {Game play aspects of gaming systems} - G07F 17/3295: {Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking} - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract A gaming machine includes a credit input mechanism, a player interface, a display device, and a game controller. The game controller increases a credit balance of a credit meter based on monetary value of a physical item received by the credit input mechanism, and decreases the credit balance based on a wager. The game controller further randomly selects an initial game screen from a plurality of initial game screens in a manner that ensures a predetermined minimum return-to-player. The game controller also displays symbols in display positions of the display device per an initial symbol arrangement specified by the selected initial game screen, and updates symbols in the display positions per the move represented by the input signals to obtain updated symbols. The game controller increase the credit balance based on an award associated with the updated symbols. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gaming machine, comprising: a credit input mechanism configured to receive a physical item representing a monetary value; a player interface configured to generate input signals representative of a move requested by a player of the gaming machine; a display device comprising a plurality of display positions; a game controller configured to: increase a credit balance of a credit meter based on the monetary value of the received physical item; decrease the credit balance based on a wager; randomly select an initial game screen from a plurality of initial game screens in a manner that ensures a predetermined minimum return-to-player; display a plurality of symbols in the plurality of display positions per an initial symbol arrangement specified by the selected initial game screen; update one or more symbols in the plurality of display positions per the move represented by the input signals to obtain an updated plurality of symbols; and increase the credit balance based on an award associated with the updated plurality of symbols. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game controller is further configured to update the one or more symbols by swapping two symbols from the plurality of symbols. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game controller is further configured to update the one or more symbols by swapping two adjacent symbols selected by the player via the player interface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the player interface is configured to permit the player to select the two symbols by dragging-and-dropping a first symbol of the two symbols onto a second symbol of the two symbols. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the player interface is configured to permit the player to select the two symbols by touching a first symbol and a second symbol on the display device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game controller is further configured to: randomly select the initial game screen by randomly selecting a plurality of reel stops for a plurality of reel strips, wherein each reel strip provides an ordered symbol set; and fill the plurality of display positions with symbols per the ordered symbol sets as specified by the plurality of reels strips and the plurality of reel stops. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game controller is further configured to: remove a winning pattern of symbols from the plurality of display positions to form a plurality of vacated display positions; and drop a first symbol in a first display position from the plurality of display positions into a vacated display position from the plurality of vacated display positions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The gaming machine of claim 7, wherein the game controller is further configured to fill the first display position with a symbol specified by the ordered symbol set of a first reel strip from plurality of reel strips. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The gaming machine of claim 7, wherein: the first display position corresponds to a first column of display positions; and the ordered symbol set of the first reel strip species symbols to be displayed in the first column of display positions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game controller is further configured to: display a box symbol in a predefined display position from the plurality of display positions; reduce a numeric value associated with the box symbol in response to a winning pattern of symbols formed adjacent the box symbol; and increase the credit meter based on an award associated with the box symbol in response to the numeric value have a predetermined relationship to a predetermined trigger value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The gaming machine of claim 10, wherein the game controller is further configured to: remove the box symbol in response to the numeric value having the predetermined relationship to the predetermined trigger value; and drop a first symbol in a first display position from the plurality of display positions into the predefined display position vacated by the removed box symbol. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The gamine machine of claim 1, wherein, in response to determining that no legal moves remain, the game controller is configured to repopulate the plurality of display positions with symbols to obtain a repopulated plurality of display positions comprising at least one legal move. ### Claim 13 A method of playing a game of a gaming machine having a credit input mechanism configured to receive a physical item representing a monetary value, a player interface configured to generate input signals representative of a move requested by a player of the gaming machine, a display device comprising a plurality of display positions, and a game controller, the method comprising: increasing, with the game controller, a credit balance of a credit meter based on the monetary value of the received physical item; decreasing, with the game controller, the credit balance based on a wager; randomly selecting, with the game controller, an initial game screen from a plurality of initial game screens in a manner that ensures a predetermined minimum return-to-player; displaying, in the plurality of display positions of the display device, a plurality of symbols per an initial symbol arrangement specified by the selected initial game screen; updating one or more symbols in the plurality of display positions per the move represented by the input signals to obtain an updated plurality of symbols on the display device; and increasing, with the game controller, the credit balance based on an award associated with the updated plurality of symbols. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein said updating comprising swapping two symbols from the plurality of symbols. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the two symbols from the plurality of symbols based on input received via the player interface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the two symbols from the plurality of symbols in response to the player interface detecting a first symbol of the two symbols being dragged-and-dropped onto a second symbol of the two symbols. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the two symbols from the plurality of symbols in response to the player interface detecting a first symbol and a second symbol being touched on the display device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein said randomly selecting the initial game screen comprises randomly selecting a plurality of reel stops for a plurality of reel strips, wherein each reel strip provides an ordered symbol set. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: removing a winning pattern of symbols from the plurality of display positions to form a plurality of vacated display positions; and dropping a first symbol in a first display position from the plurality of display positions into a vacated display position from the plurality of vacated display positions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: displaying a box symbol in a predefined display position from the plurality of display positions; reducing a numeric value associated with the box symbol in response to a winning pattern of symbols formed adjacent the box symbol; and increasing the credit meter based on an award associated with the box symbol in response to the numeric value have a predetermined relationship to a predetermined trigger value.